Another Sky
by Lord Panda
Summary: Because respectable Slytherins of pure-blood don't fall in love with obnoxious blood-traitors in Gryffindor. [SiriusOC]
1. Prologue

**Title: Another Sky**

**Summary: Because respectable Slytherins of pure-blood don't fall in love with obnoxious blood-traitors in Gryffindor. SiriusOC**

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**Prologue**

Over the centuries, the Rivers household had undergone many changes. Originally a wooden cabin on a hill that overlooked a small brook, the property had expanded to be a home of Baroque grandeur in the 1600s. The size itself was incredibly modest in comparison to the Black Manor and Malfoy residence, but the ornamental architecture gave it a more opulent and impressive appearance. Many generations of Rivers took pride in the home, generously performing any and all restorations needed, allowing it to remain in pristine condition. And just as that old wooden hut had evolved into a respectable mansion, the family's reputation also became a success within the wizarding community. By the early 1700s, the Rivers established their place among pure-blood society.

And despite the long history, one thing hadn't changed: the Rivers home stood atop a hill.

Seraphina Rivers found it depressing. It was a fifteen minute walk down the hill and a twenty minute walk up the hill due to its steepness. Few children from the town below would have the patience to climb up the unpaved winding path to see her. Few children would not be intimidated by the tall creaky gate and gargoyle guardians at the entrance. Few children would want to befriend a girl with a name as pretentious-sounding as Seraphina.

And absolutely no children from a Muggle town would ever have the slightest desire to do any of those things.

The Muggle town that had sprung up right below the heart of the Rivers estate annoyed her parents to no end. "Don't leave the estate lest you wish to sully yourself with the presence of those wretched Muggles, Seph," her mother had commanded. "Don't mind the noisy Muggle children. Stay here. Play with Castor," her father said as he urged her out of his study and into her room. To be fair, Seph was great friends with Castor, the resident barn owl. He sometimes stole Muggle treats from a candy store in the town and brought them back for her. They were delicious.

But whenever Castor was "dutifully" performing his tasks as family messenger (Seph was certain the extra days she had to wait for his return were not because of weather conditions unsuitable for flying), Seph had a lot of alone time. Pure-blood gatherings were fewer for her than they had been when her parents were children since the Muggle town had dislodged the Rivers's position among the pure-blood society. The presence of Muggles in such proximity to their home had only earned the Rivers family disdain from the other noble pure-bloods. Thus, the Rivers family was only invited the less prestigious pure-blood gatherings. And those were even scarcer now after what she had done at Goyle's sixth birthday party (she still didn't quite regret it).

And so, without the company of Castor or peers, Seph did a lot of reading ("Dad, the Pure-blood Directory is not a kids book.") and thinking.

And sometimes, she thought why the bloody hell was she not allowed to play with Muggles.

For the first few years of her life, Seph bought into her parents' philosophy. She believed them. They may have had excellent snacks, but they were below her in the societal hierarchy.

But then the school was built beside the river.

Seph was passing by the hallway window when she saw the schoolchildren running around with a ball, which made her pause. That looked fun. That looked like Quidditch, except with running. So she tried running around with a ball. It was great until her mother found her destroying priceless heirlooms. But it was enjoyable while it lasted. Another time, as she watched Castor sneakily pull out one of the chocolate Muggle snacks from a schoolbag from the base of the hill, she saw some of the Muggle children playing chess. Seph played wizarding chess, albeit not very well. But she could spot the similarities between their games and frankly, the two boys playing it were far better at it than she was. Clearly, the Muggles weren't as dull and stupid as she thought they were.

By the age of eight, she realized that Muggles weren't the worthless trash her parents conditioned her to believe. It wasn't a shocking thought, but rather something she figured she must have known for quite some time now. It just felt natural. It certainly wasn't a proud opinion since there wasn't anyone by her side to support her. Part of her was convinced that she only believed in this idea because she was passive-aggressively trying to get back at her parents for not playing with her more as a child.

The thought remained with her, though she made a point to never express her inner conflict with her parents. Instead, she used the terms "mudblood" and "blood-traitor" almost indulgently. It was enough for her parents to not suspect her. In fact, it was enough to make her parents proud of her and so she was rewarded often as their favorite and only child with gifts of Galleons and rare books ("A first edition copy of the Pure-blood Directory? Mum, you shouldn't have...").

Years pass without Seph making progress towards resolving this "Muggles are good? Muggles are impure?" conflict. She was beginning to think she was wrong and she was destined to spend the rest of her life following in her parents' footsteps.

But then she met Sirius Black.

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**AN**: Sorry for the slow start. I really hope it didn't bore you. This was an idea I've been playing around with for a while so I really want it to work. Please be patient with me.

Reviews would be greatly appreciated!


	2. Chapter 1

**Title: Another Sky**

**Summary: Because respectable Slytherins of pure-blood don't fall in love with obnoxious blood-traitors in Gryffindor. SiriusOC**

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**Chapter 1**

"GRYFFINDOR!"

I paused. Surely the Sorting Hat must have made a mistake. There was no way Sirius Orion Black of all people was a…a _Gryffindor_. It was unheard of. I couldn't even think the idea without disdain. It's…well… he's a Black. Surely Mrs. Black raised her son better than that. The Blacks were pureblood traditionalists. My family lacked even half their prestige and even we still considered it our duty to uphold the pureblood name by entering the honorable house of Slytherin.

But Black had broken the unspoken rule when he started walking to the Gryffindor table with an inexplicable grin on his beaming face. I narrowed my eyes, partly in disbelief that he had the _audacity_ to look proud of himself. Like he accomplished some great feat by wounding up in _Gryffindor_.

I didn't understand him—_what is he doing?—_and it seemed that no one else did either. Even the Gryffindors forgot to applaud their new house member. Instead, an uneasy silence took hold of hall. Slytherins remained quiet through the tension, too dignified to express their anger. Black had betrayed them; he betrayed us. And none of us were happy about it.

In fact, the only person besides Sirius who seemed pleased with the outcome was a messy haired first year standing in front of me as he waited to be sorted himself.

"WOO, SIRIUS!" he whistled excitedly, clapping his hands together zealously. Sirius, to my surprise, responded cheerily with a charming wink.

"Better not disappoint me, James!" he hollered back.

I furrowed my brow as I tried to remember if I knew anyone by that name. But no one in the pureblood circle had the name James to my recollection, so he couldn't have been a childhood acquaintance of Sirius (I doubted Mrs. Black would have permitted Sirius to associate with anyone of lesser status). They must have met on the train a few hours ago.

And yet despite being a character missing from Sirius' life before today, James gave Sirius the warm welcome the Gryffindors themselves seemed to have forgotten about in their mass confusion. And the obnoxiously loud first year seemed to clue them in on what they've missed because soon, the upperclassmen were clapping Sirius on the back and congratulating him enthusiastically.

"Our first new recruit!"

"Welcome to the bravest and noblest house, Black!"

"So happy to have you join us!"

Amidst their happy union, I found myself biting my lip in disgust. It was disconcerting to watch. It was wrong for them to celebrate the addition of _Sirius Black_ to their house because Sirius was… a Slytherin. Or at least, he was supposed to be a Slytherin.

But Sirius didn't look wronged or upset. In fact, he made himself right at home under the scarlet and gold banner. He looked like he'd never been more excited, never happier, and never more comfortable. He looked like he was basking in the light and warmth of a sunrise when he had only known cloudy nights. His eyes were brimming with hope like he knew this was only the beginning of what he can do.

The Sorting Hat didn't make a mistake; Sirius in that blissful, joyous, traitorous moment could not have been a mistake.

And it meant Sirius truly belonged with them—and not us.

"Ahem," an authoritative cough came from ahead as Professor McGonagall brought his sorting to an end. "Next up we have BRENT, WENDELL!"

Just like that, everyone seemed to have forgotten about Black.

But I couldn't tear my eyes off of Sirius, who sat contently as he watched the Sorting Ceremony. Something drew my attention to him. The image of him, so carefree, sitting at the Gryffindor table was burned into my mind. It just felt curious to watch him; it's a feeling hard to describe as a ten year old. Maybe it was a bit creepy because we had never spoken to each other. We met only once or twice in my childhood. And yet, it felt like I was watching something… go.

Maybe it was because I've known of Sirius—_known_ _of_ him, not _know him_—for so long. He was simply there when I thought of our circle and it felt weird to not have him there now. The heir to the influential Blacks… now on the verge of being disowned.

It made me uncomfortable seeing him there, but as I tried to reason with myself, a low whistle snapped me out of my train of thoughts.

"Black has made an enemy of his own family," a voice chuckled. The voice…

"Evan?" I said uncertainly. I swiveled around to face the speaker and cried in delight when I recognized the tall brunet with chocolate eyes staring back at me.

"Merlin, Evan, it's you! Do you recognize me?" I threw my arms around him.

It had been so long since I've seen Evan Rosier that I might have overreacted a bit. He was an old friend who I associated with often until I pissed off Goyle at his sixth birthday party. Goyle's parents didn't appreciate that and evidently, neither did the Rosier family, who were longtime friends of the Goyles.

He patted me on the back with a laugh before I dropped my arms to my side.

"Of course I remember you, Miss Rivers," he teased, "How have you been?"

"Fine. It's been so long though! I've missed you."

"Shouldn't have done that to Goyle then."

"Shh, we don't talk about that here. We don't talk about it ever."

His eyes twinkled with amusement. "He's a second year here, you know. Maybe it's time to make amends and be friends?"

"Ha, I don't think I'd be his friend even if he groveled for it," I retorted confidently.

"Mm, sure, sure." His eyes drifted off me to the front of the hall. I followed his gaze to the Sorting Hat.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the Sorting Hat announced. The enthusiastic child scurried away to the black and yellow table.

"Looks like you're next, Rivers," Evan smiled and clapped me on the shoulders. He gave me a rough push forward just as Professor McGonagall called in her crystal tone, "RIVERS, SERAPHINA!"

I sighed, but walked forward.

"Merlin forbid someone lets me forget my full name," I muttered beneath my breath as I pulled away from Evan. My cheeks felt hot from the embarrassment of my horribly pretentious name more so than the nervous anticipation of sorting. I felt quite confident I already knew where I was going. With swift dignified steps, I made my way up to the stool where the Sorting Hat was then placed snugly on my head.

_Oh, Miss Rivers, a pleasure. I remember sorting your parents before you._

_ Then this should be quick, _I thought amiably. The Sorting Hat gave a chortle.

_ Now, let's not be hasty. There have been some interesting turnouts this year, you know._

I had no idea what he meant or why he was bringing that up now until I realized.

_ Black_. The hat gave a murmur of assent.

_Indeed. But no more about him. Let's talk about you. Hm, let's see now...you are quite the clever girl, but you lack your parents' determination and principled natures. I see talent in you, but you will need to learn to work hard to hone it and for that, you need motivation. You need drive and confidence in the things you choose for yourself. You should take a page from your parents' book. _

_ Yes, okay, I will, I will, _I promised hurriedly. _But take any longer deciding and everyone might think I'm not a Slytherin after all._ The reminder of what happened to Black ate at my patience.

I could feel a tickle of something akin to bemusement from the hat.

_Well, let's not keep them waiting._

"SLYTHERIN!"

Breathing a sigh of relief, I faced the hall with a smile. Among the four tables before me, my excitement allowed me to only see one clearly. _I wonder if this is how Black felt_. The thought left me as quickly as it came though because soon, a couple of upperclassmen were welcoming me to my new house—my new home.

"Well done, Rivers," the older Mulciber remarked with a handshake. As excited as I was, I shrugged modestly as I took his hand. Looking at his hazel eyes, I was reminded his brother, who shared the same feature was in my year as well. Though it seemed the younger sibling lacked the elder's manners because the young Mulciber was ignoring me in my entirety.

_Oh well, _I thought as I gave another appreciative glance to a housemate who offered her praise. The rest of my walk to the back of the table was uninterrupted until I was stopped by a tall upperclassman with long blond hair.

Lucius Malfoy.

"I extend my congratulations and welcome," Malfoy said courteously, to my surprise. I reined back my shock. He was probably talking to me as a self-appointed representative of the house. He seemed the type. Nonetheless, I nodded graciously.

In the end, I took a seat beside an olive-skinned girl with tawny hair. She seemed pleasant enough, though I didn't get the chance to introduce myself to her because Professor McGonagall was soon announcing the next name—one that actually mattered to me.

"ROSIER, EVAN!"

I watched expectantly as Evan took a seat at the front. The view from the Slytherin table wasn't too decent, but I could make out Evan and the professors who watched with polite interest. There was some waiting which only increased the suspense. I was feeling genuinely concerned for Evan before the Sorting Hat finally put my thoughts to rest with its decision.

"SLYTHERIN!"

Another sigh of relief escaped from my lips. But I brightened up at the thought of spending the next seven years with someone I knew.

Evan was tall for a first year so it was amusing to watch him shake hands with some third years on equal ground. Maybe it was his height or his easy-going nature, but something about him must have been attractive because he was getting a lot more attention than I did. That was a bit of petty jealousy, but I should have expected as much.

"Evan!" I waved to get his attention. He winked in my direction.

A few handshakes and obligatory waves later, Evan finally approached me with a smile.

"What took you so long?" I joked, giving him a congratulatory hug.

"I think the Sorting Hat was trying to put me in Hufflepuff," Evan replied in horror. We shared a laugh before settling down to watch the remainder of the ceremony.

"SNAPE, SEVERUS!"

A small nervous boy with sleeked greasy black hair took the stand. We waited for the decision, but the Sorting Hat took his time as he did with Evan and me.

"Merlin, the Sorting Hat is giving a lot thought this year," one of the older Hufflepuffs murmured. Silently, I agreed. Black's sorting still bothered me a bit. Not only was Black a strange case, the Sorting Hat tried to give me a serious talk when it was my turn instead of just placing me in Slytherin as soon as it touched my head.

"SLYTHERIN!" the hat announced at last in regards to the boy up front.

"Lots of new classmates this year," Evan commented, clapping along with the rest.

"Three Slytherins in a row," Avery laughed, "Aren't we lucky?" He gave the newcomer a nod of acknowledgment when Snape arrived at the seat beside him. Barely giving the new boy time to settle down, Evan approached him with a friendly welcome.

"Hello, Snape," Evan greeted cordially. When I made no sign of doing the same, he nudged me subtly. Or at least, he thought it was subtle to elbow my ribs.

"Oh, yes, hello. I hope we can get along," I managed to get out. Snape forced a smile and turned back to Evan, who had started asking him a few questions about where he was from.

I guess that even though I liked to think that the reason Evan and I got along so well even though we rarely saw each other was because we were rather alike, Evan was far more comfortable with the small talk necessary for making friends. He even got the esteemed Malfoy and Selwyn to give him handshakes after his sorting. But then again, Evan tended to be on good terms with people. _He_ wasn't the one that got banned during Goyle's birthday party.

As though to further prove my point, Evan tapped my arm and spoke up again.

"Seph, have you met Ida Brooks? She's a half-blood, just like Severus," Evan gestured at the olive-skinned girl from earlier, whom I had completely forgotten about. She gave a small wave which I returned with a polite smile of my own.

_How did Evan get on first-name basis with them so quickly?_ I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"Pleased to meet you, Ida. You too, Severus."

Much to my amusement, Ida looked the opposite of Severus. Where she had round and cute features, Severus had sharp, serious features. She had a darker complexion while Severus had pasty pale skin. Her hair was light and curly while his was dark and smooth in texture.

Not to mention Ida smiles back at me, where Severus seems limited to flat expressions.

Well, it was safe to say Severus didn't seem to like me too much. That was unfair since he gave Evan a far more cooperative attitude before. I pursed my lips in annoyance and turned away, trying not to look too affronted.

"Well, looks like the Sorting Ceremony is over." Evan interrupted nonchalantly.

As if on cue, a splendid feast instantly appeared before us. Evan and I shared a look when we spotted the plates of steak before us.

"Looks good," Ida hummed, piling mashed potatoes on her plate.

As I picked up my silverware, I spotted Severus blinking in surprise at the sudden appearance of the food, but noticeably did his best to hide his shock. It brought a smile to my face. Even with his serious attitude, that was cute, I guess.

Ida was cuter though.

_But Evan is the cutest_, I thought as I entertained myself with watching Evan curse at his difficult-to-cut steak beneath his breath. I laughed and offered to cut his humiliation short by doing it for him.

"Thanks, Seph," he sighed with relief. "Normally, my house elf slices it for me."

"Well, I'm not going to be your substitute house elf so you better start figuring out how to cut your own steak after this."

"But then what good will you be to me if you're not helping me cut steaks?"

I whacked him on the back of his head. To his credit, he looked like he was in genuine pain so I let him off with some easy words of affection.

"Promise me you'll never change, Rosier," I grinned.

"You can't ask me to be more independent and then tell me not to change."

"…Promise me you'll fall off a cliff, Rosier."

Evan covered his heart in mock horror, but I merely stuck out my tongue at him.

"You haven't changed at all, Rivers."

"And I won't for as long as I can get away with it."

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**AN: **Still a pretty slow start. Sorry, guess there's a lot we have to get through before Sirius starts making regular appearances.

In case you're wondering why Seph has a strange name, my reasoning is most purebloods have some pretty fantastical names. Bellatrix, Narcissa, Lucius, etc. I guess Tom is pretty normal though (but you know).

Leave me a review! I'm kind of like Seph in that I need motivation to actually do anything and your words are my motivation. ;)


	3. Author's Note

Hi, friends.

So haha, I decided to continue this story under a different title and different writing. Sorry, I just didn't like the writing in this one. I think I can do better. So you can find this story under the new title "Heritage" on my page. Please check it out! It's essentially the same story, but… better writing, I guess (I hope). And I promise I'll continue that one. I wrote out a whole timeline for myself so I swear I'm not lying to you.

And if you've read this story and tried the new version, please leave me a review of what you thought of it (on that version). What were the things you liked in the new version and what were the things you liked in the old version and would like me to carry over? I know I didn't do much with this old version so it's hard to tell, but if there's anything, I'd like to know.

Thank you, all!


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